Insulator clevis attachment



Aug. 18, 1953 J. H. GLEDHILL 2,649,319

INSULATOR CLEVIS ATTACHMENT Filed Nov. 22, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheetv l Fkg' -1.

- L INVENTOB 38 J7 JIM/56W Aug. 18, 1953 J. H. GLEDHILL INSULATOR CLEVIS ATTACHMENT 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 22, 1949 Ill ' Liiia' Aug. 18, 1953 J. H. GLEDHILL 2,649,319

INSULATOR CLEVIS ATTACHMENT Filed Nov. 22, 1949 4 Sheefcs-Sheet 3 FL-gl 5 6.

INVE NTOR fi/mziG/emw f Aug. 18, 1953 J. H. GLEDHILL 2,649,319

INSULATOR CLEVIS ATTACHMENT Filed Nov. 22, 1949 4' Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTQR Jakruff Patented Aug. 18, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INSULATOR CLEVIS ATTACHMENT John H. Gledhill, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application November 22, 1949, Serial N 0. 128,895

1 Claim. 1

The present invention relates to insulator clevis attachments of the type which provide for the supporting of electrical insulators to which may be attached wires and cables from crossarms, brackets or other supporting structure for dead ending or passing through of wires and cables.

A purpose of the invention is to facilitate the interconnection of an insulator with a support, while at the same time preventing the possibility of unintentional separation.

A further purpose is to look a clevis in a bail by the fastening device such as the bolt which secures the bail to the crossarm or other support.

A further purpose is to permit engagement of a clevis in a bail by simply inserting the bolt in the bail, moving the bolt head away from the bail, moving the clevis heads inwardly, passing them through slots in the bail, spreading them outwardly and pulling them back.

A further purpose is to use the same cleviswhich interconnects the insulator with the bail to secure the insulator to the cable clamp, avoiding the use of an adaptor.

Further purposes appear in the specification and in the claim.

In the drawings I have chosen to illustrate a few only of the numerous embodiments in which my invention may appear, choosing the forms shown from the standpoints of convenience in illustration, satisfactory operation and clear demonstration of the principles involved.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic fragmentary elevation of a pole, crossarm and insulator clevis attachment in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic fragmentary perspective of the structure of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragment of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an enlarged elevation of the bail shown in Figures 1 to 4 looking from the left hand end in these views.

Figure 6 is a section of Figure 5 on the line 6-6.

Figure 7 is a sectional elevation showing the insertion of the clevis into the bail, the bail being sectioned on the same line as in Figure 6. The bolt is shown in dot-and-dash lines.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary elevation similar to Figure 3 showing the application of the insulator clevis attachment to dead end a cable.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary enlargement of Figure 8.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary top plan view of Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a detail end elevation of the cable strain clamp shown in Figures 8, 8 and 9, the components being separated and the bolts omitted.

Figure 11 is a plan view of the lower element of the cable strain clamp shown in Figures 8 and 8*, corresponding in position to a section on the line ll-H of Figure 10.

Figure 12 is a View corresponding to Figure 8 showing a variation in the cable strain clamp for leading off the cable at an angle.

Describing in illustration but not in limitation and referring to the drawings:

Clevises have been extensively used in the past for attaching insulators to supporting structure such as crossarms, frames and brackets in electric indoor and outdoor overhead wiring. Difficulty has been encountered in making quick connections between such clevises and the sup-' porting structure and in adequately preventing detachment of the connections. Furthermore, when cable strain clamps and the like have been used it has ordinarily been necessary to employ a special adaptor in making the connection between the insulator and the cable strain clamp, thus necessitating he stocking of one or more special components.

In accordance with the present invention, a combination of a clevis and a bail is provided in which the clevis is interlocked in the bail by inserting the bolt or other fastener through the bail, moving the head of the bolt away from the bail, inserting the heads of the clevis longitudinally of the assembly through wide slots in the bail, moving the heads of the bail out into narrow slots and then pulling the heads of the bail back preferably into sockets. The bolt head when pulled against the bail not only holds the bail but prevents the detachment of the clevis from the bail.

The invention may not only be used in connecting a wire which goes through the insulator, but it may also very usefully be employed to dead end or anchor a cable. secured to the attachment of the invention, the

clevis may be used not only to secure the. in-

sulator to the bail (for anchoringlbut also to secure the cable strain clamp to the insulator.

The clevis and. hail combination of the invention is applicable not only to high voltage wort: but also to low voltage distribution as in an in'- dustrial plant.

Considering first the form of Figures 1 to 7,.

inclusive, a pole 20 is provided with a crossarm 2! which has openingsat 22 through which retain:

When a cableis being ing bolts 23 having heads 24 are carried. Each bolt 23 passes through a suitably central transverse slot 25 of a metallic bail 26. The bail is desirably of band formation with a center opening 2'! formed by laterally interconnecting transverse slots 28, 30, 25, 3| and 32. The slots 28 and 30 form one pair at one end of the bail and the slots 3| and 32 form an opposite counterpart pair at the otherendof the bail. In each pair of slots there is a wideslot 3il and 3| which is preferably located interiorly or toward the center of the bail with respect to a narrow slot 28 or 32. The. wider slots 30 and iii are desirably sloped slightly with respect to the axis, convergingtowardi the, side which is to hold the clevis head flanges, asv shown in Figures 6 and '7, in linewiththe sides of the U of the clevis as it is: bent inito pass through the bail (Figure 7).

Engaged in the narrow slots 28 and 32-"ofthe' areconveniently of a. suitabl size to justpass the flanged ends andlth'e shanks of the heads of the' clevis when the bolt head isspacedircm the bail so that the clevisscan be inserted longitudinally through the larger slots-of thebail as shown in Figure 7 by moving'the heads close. enough together toline up with the'slots Blland 3!.

The width of the narrower slots 23 and. 3260f each pair is desirably slightly larger-thanthe diaineters of? the shanks of the heads so thatwhen the heads are pushed through the bail in the position of Figure '7 they can bepushed outwardly to occupy respectively the narrower slots 28-and 32.

The bail is provided at one side, inline: with the-outsideslot-s 28- and 32-, with socket recesses 42. and ldzwhich receive the flanged ends of the heads of the clevis and hold them in the slots 28 and 32. The sockets are located on the side of the bail remote from the insulator so that the flanged endscan fit into them.

To prevent turning of the head 24 of the bolt 23 when the nuts are tightened behind the crossarm, lugs 44' are placed on the bail on the side opposite from the sockets to engage-thehead 24'.

It will be evident that the clevis, bail and bolt thus far described support the insulator 36. The insulator can be applied in various ways. For example, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, wires 45 are carried through the. other insulator'opening 46, twisted together at ill and one end 48 is led ofi to the side for any suitable purpose such as connection to a transformer, transposition,- or connection to other suitable mechanism.

In some cases as shown in Figures 8, 8 9, 10 and 11, the insulator may be used to dead end a cable 50, for example for low voltage transmission in an industrial plant. In this. instance the cable is engaged by acable strain clamp 5! which comprises a relatively wide base portion 52 having a center semi-circular cable socket 53, and opposite counterpart mating clamp elements 54 and 55. The elements 54 and 55-.have opposite counterpart semi-circular cable gripping portions 56 which clamp. around the. opposite side of thecable. At the outside edge of the base and the 'cooperating'clamping element 4 54 are longitudinally extending semi-circular clevis gripping portions 51. Another clevis 34' identical with the clevis previously described is then passed through the insulator opening 46 and the flanged ends 4| are engaged on the remote side of the cable strain clamp, the shanks extending through and being held by the clevis engaging opening 51. The clevis preferably has slight freedom when theshanks are in position, as the openings5l'l areglarge enough not to grip the shanks tightly, leaving a little play. Thus, the second clevis 34 at the right hand side of Figures 8, 8 and 9 serves to unite the cable strain; clamp .toithe insulator, doing away with the necessity for a separate adaptor.

The opposite clamping portions of the cable strain-.nolampz are; secured together by bolts 58.

In some cases instead of dead ending the cable it'is-d'esirable to lead itoff to the side as shown in Figure 12. In this form the base 52 of the cable strain clamp has a downward deflecting portion fill which hasa cable engaging recess in prolongation of'the cable engaging recess 53=and receives a supplemental U-bolt 6| which straddles the cable and holds it in the cable engagingrecess; Thelead-ofl' portion 5b. of the cable can then be carried to one side of the axis of the insulator'for the purpose of making connections.

It will be'evident ofcourse thatthe=device ofthe invention can be employed for alternating or direct current purposes;

In operation the device will be assembled as follows:

The clevis is threaded through one of the openings in the insulator and linediup longitudinally of the insulator; The anchor bolt 24lis carried through the bail and fastened to. the crossarm or other support; Then with the anchor bolt head spacedfromthe bailas shown in Figure '7, the heads of the. clevis are forced: together to the. position of-Figure- '7 andthreaded through the, converging wider slots 30. and Iiiv of the bail andethenpushed; outwardly into the narrower outer slots 28 and 32and pulled backuntil the. flanged ends engage in, the sockets 42. and 43 of the bail. The anchor bolt head isthen pulled towardthebail untilit engages between the lugs 44.. The anchor. bolt head. is large enough so. thatif the clevisiheadsshould leave thQzSOCkBllS. 28'. and 32. they-still could not-pull. back through.

thewider slotsfllband- 3! because of interference with the anchorboltiheadwhich partially. covers theslotstfliandel. The; taper of the slots 30 and;.3las shown at: 6;! in. Figures 6 and '7 also tendsto: make the-interference of the bolt head.

insulator is; to support an overhead wire, as.

shown in Figures 1 and 2. the; wire is then. threaded through the insulator and doubled back as shown in these figures.

Where the insulator is instead intended to support a cable after the manner of Figures 8, 8 and 9 or Figure 12, a-second clevis is placed in the other-opening lfi-of-theinsulatorand the cablestrain clamp is then bolted to'the' cablev and at the same time over the. clevis ends 38 and'40 which retain'some freedom of movement. The bolts 58 are then properly tightened.

In view of my invention and disclosure, variations and modifications to meet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident 5 to others skilled in the art, to obtain all or part of the benefits of my invention without copying the structure shown, and I, therefore, claim all such insofar as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my claim.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a clevis insulator attachment, a clevis comprising a flexible cable and enlarged heads on the ends of the cable, a bail having five laterally interconnecting slots extending from one side to the other, there being at each opposite end a pair of laterally interconnected transverse slots and a middle slot between the two pairs which together make up said five slots, the innermost of the slots of each pair being larger than the clevis heads and converging toward the side of the bail away from that on which the clevis heads are inserted, the outermost transverse slot of each pair being larger than the clevis and smaller than the clevis head and the clevis head being in said outermost transverse slots in assembled relation, walls forming a socket on the bail in line with the smaller slot of each pair which receives and retains the clevis head and a, fastener extending through the middle slot and having a head which extends over and blocks the larger slots of each pair when the fastener head is against the bail.

JOHN H. GLEDHILL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,284,974 Austin Nov. 19, 1918 1,667,345 Cummins Apr. 24, 1928 1,735,561 Austin Nov. 12, 1929 1,983,369 Hillebrand et a1 Dec. 4, 1934 2,180,977 Cook Nov. 21, 1939 2,255,961 Becker Sept. 16, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 373,663 Germany Apr. 14, 1923 

